Tour firm was criticised after two died in previous sinking tragedy
THE tour firm at the centre of the whale watching tragedy was facing questions last night after it emerged that it had been involved in two previous accidents.
Jamie’s Whaling Station has been running whale and bear watching trips, fishing expeditions and hot spring visits for tourists in Tofino for 30 years.
It has overwhelmingly positive reviews on the Trip Advisor website and says it prides itself on being ‘passionate about life on the water, knowledgeable of the local area’.
But in March 1998, a 27-year-old German tourist and a crew member died when waves swamped their boat as it approached a reef. No mayday signal was given and a rescue operation was only launched when the boat failed to arrive at its destination.
Two passengers were eventually rescued after around two hours in the water. But the German, who could not swim, drowned and the crew member succumbed to hypothermia because his immersion suit – designed to help its wearer survive low water temperatures – was not properly fastened.
At the time, they were the first fatalities in British Columbia’s multi-million-dollar whale watching industry. A report into the accident by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada found that the ‘operator did not fully appreciate the conditions the boat would meet at the time of the accident in the turbulent waters in the vicinity of reefs’.
It also criticised the absence of emergency communication equipment, ‘which resulted in a delay in initiating a rescue response’.
Two years previously, another Jamie’s Whaling Station employee suffered serious head injuries when the boat he was operating ran aground at full cruising speed when he fell asleep. A subsequent investigation found the boat was unlicensed and the operator had been working for eight hours when the accident happened.
The report suggested that because the boat owners wish to ‘optimise the tourist market’ during the whale watching season the craft are operated for long hours, leaving staff ‘taxed to the limit’ and fatigued.